The present invention generally relates to a syringe and needle, and a system which incorporates that syringe and needle in combination, for preventing inadvertent injection of a drug and more specifically relates to a syringe for spinal drug injection which is incompatible with a typical needle and a needle for spinal drug injection which is incompatible with a typical syringe.
Drugs may be injected into patients using a needle (or xe2x80x9ccannulaxe2x80x9d) by several different methods, including injection into a vein (xe2x80x9cintravenouslyxe2x80x9d) or injection into the fluid around the spine (xe2x80x9cspinallyxe2x80x9d), including intrathecally, epidurally and intramedurally. Drug treatment for particular ailments may at times require the injection of a drug in a very specific manner. For example, it is often of critical importance to ensure that drugs intended for intravenous injection are not mistakenly injected spinally and vice versa. It is also important to ensure that a drug contained in a syringe for injection in a particular manner is not mistakenly attached to a needle used for inappropriate injection of that drug thereby increasing the risk that the drug will be mistakenly injected in an inappropriate manner. For example, to ensure that a drug intended for intravenous injection stored in a syringe is not mistakenly attached to a spinal needle and injected spinally.
This is of particular concern in the field of chemotherapy where very toxic drugs employed to treat particular types of cancer must be injected in a very specific manner. For example a group of drugs known as xe2x80x9cvinca alkaloidsxe2x80x9d are extremely toxic when administered in any manner other than intravenously. If these drugs are administered in any other manner, including spinally, these drugs may be fatal to the patient.
There have been unfortunate occurrences of mistaken injection of a vinca alkaloid drug used in chemotherapy into a patient""s spinal region, rather than by the appropriate method of injection, that being intravenously. A syringe containing such a drug can be accidentally attached to a spinal needle and the drug injected spinally into the patient, thereby causing death or serious injury to the patient.
As well, a drug in a syringe which is intended to be injected spinally may be attached to a needle used for intravenous injection and the drug mistakenly injected intravenously.
Many of these inadvertent injections can be attributed to human error in either filling a given syringe intended for spinal injection of drugs with a toxic drug intended for intravenous injection or mixing up syringes containing various chemotherapy drugs and attaching a syringe containing a toxic drug intended for intravenous injection to a spinal needle and injecting that drug spinally into the patient.
As a result there is a significant need for the development of a syringe and needle which may be employed for spinal injection of a drug intended for spinal injection and a system incorporating a combination of that syringe and needle which will reduce the risks inherent in handling and injecting toxic drugs meant to be injected only in a very specific manner. The present invention is intended to accomplish this by reducing the opportunity for human error in handling and injecting toxic drugs in the appropriate manner into patients receiving those drugs.
In one embodiment of the invention a spinal syringe is operatively connectible with a spinal needle for spinal injection of a drug. The syringe is incompatible for operative connection with a connector of a typical needle. The spinal syringe includes a nozzle for operatively connecting the syringe to the spinal needle, the nozzle having a conduit extending axially therethrough for delivery of the drug from the syringe to the needle and includes an outer tip. The tip extends about an outer end of the conduit and is dimensioned to contact the outer end of the connector of the typical needle to prevent operative connection of the spinal syringe with the typical needle.
In another embodiment of the invention, a spinal needle is operatively connectible with a spinal syringe for spinal injection of a drug. The spinal syringe includes a nozzle with a conduit extending axially therethrough. The needle is incompatible for operative connection with the nozzle of a typical syringe, the nozzle having an outer tip. The needle includes a connector cooperating with the nozzle of the spinal syringe to operatively connect the spinal syringe to the spinal needle to dispense the drug. The connector includes an outer end dimensioned to contact the outer tip of the nozzle of the typical syringe to prevent operative connection of the spinal needle with the typical syringe.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a spinal syringe and a spinal needle combination are operatively connectible with one another for spinal injection of a drug. The spinal syringe is incompatible for operative connection with a connector of a typical needle, the connector of the typical needle having an outer end. The spinal needle is incompatible for operative connection with the nozzle of a typical syringe, the nozzle having an outer tip. The spinal syringe including a nozzle for operatively connecting the spinal syringe to the spinal needle, the nozzle having a conduit extending axially therethrough for delivery of the drug from the spinal syringe to the spinal needle and including an outer tip. The tip extending about an outer end of the conduit dimensioned to contact the outer end of the connector of the typical needle to prevent operative connection of the spinal syringe with the typical needle. The spinal needle includes a connect or cooperating with the nozzle of the spinal syringe to operatively connect the spinal syringe to the spinal needle to dispense the drug. The connector includes an outer end dimensioned to contact the outer tip of the nozzle of the typical syringe to prevent operative connection of the spinal needle with the typical syringe.
In another embodiment a spinal syringe and needle for preventing the inadvertent injection of an intravenous drug spinally includes, in combination, a needle engagement extension on the spinal needle defining an opening of a first diameter, a syringe engagement extension on the spinal syringe having a nozzle of a second diameter, the syringe engagement extension engageable with the needle engagement extension to operatively connect the needle to the syringe. The first and second diameters are dimensioned such that a surface of the syringe engagement extension is in frictional engagement with a surface of the needle engagement extension, the first diameter is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle of a typical syringe and the second diameter is larger than the diameter of the opening of a typical needle.
In a further embodiment, a system and method for preventing the inadvertent injection of a spinal drug intravenously and an intravenous drug spinally includes, in combination, a spinal needle and a spinal syringe for holding and dispensing the drug to be injected spinally, the spinal drug operatively connectable to the spinal needle. An intravenous and intravenous syringe are provided for holding and dispensing the drug to be injected intravenously, the intravenous syringe operatively connectable to the intravenous needle. The intravenous needle cannot be operatively connected to the spinal syringe thereby preventing the inadvertent injection of the drug in the spinal syringe through the intravenous needle and the spinal needle cannot be operatively connected with the intravenous syringe thereby preventing the inadvertent injection of the drug in the intravenous syringe through the spinal needle.
In another embodiment, the spinal needle may include a first Luer lock portion at an end of the spinal needle and the spinal syringe can comprise a second Luer lock portion at its end which mates with the first Luer lock portion to operatively connect the spinal needle with the spinal syringe. In yet another embodiment, the intravenous needle may include a first slip fit portion on an end and the intravenous syringe may include a second slip fit portion which mates with the first slip fit portion of the intravenous needle to operatively connect the intravenous needle with the intravenous syringe.